The Resignation
by ninjadevil2000
Summary: The real reasons behind Remus Lupin's resignation at the end of Prisoner of Azkaban.


**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I wish I did because then I'd be rich and could have every replica and cool prop I wanted, but ah well. *shrug* **

**Author's Note: I hope you enjoy this. I had a lot of fun writing it. It was really neat and I love writing Remus. Please enjoy and drop a review by when you're done. It would mean a lot. **

**Big thanks to Liz Jean Tonks, my best friend and beta. Love ya Liz. Thanks a lot. :)**

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About two days after Sirius's breakout and the divulgence of his werewolf identity, as soon as he was well enough, Remus quickly headed up the many flights of stairs to the Headmaster's office. Knocking on the door, he heard the calm voice of his former professor, and Remus found himself grinding his teeth as he entered.

He flung the door open and strode up to the desk, behind which Professor Dumbledore sat.

"Good evening, Remus. How are you feeling?" the old man asked kindly.

"Fine, thank you," Remus said shortly.

"Surely you shouldn't be up and about yet. Another few days in Madam Pomfrey's care would do you good."

"I assure you, I am fine," Remus replied.

"Very well then," Dumbledore said. "How can I help you today?" he asked, his calm demeanor irritating Remus to no end.

Chewing on the inside of his cheek, Remus wondered if he could contain the flood of anger and resentment that threatened to drown him.

"Professor," he ground out. "I would like to humbly submit my resignation."

Dumbledore didn't look surprised, and Remus wasn't really phased by that. The man seemed to know everything. Or at least, he acted like he did. Sometimes, he proved to be very wrong indeed.

"May I know the reason for your resignation?" the headmaster asked.

Remus tasted blood as his teeth pressed harder into the soft skin of his cheek. "Sir, I don't believe I can work here anymore after what has happened this year, not to mention the danger that the students and fellow staff will be in. Despite my wishes to be here at Hogwarts, I have seen that I am not fit to be a teacher."

Dumbledore looked at him, his perturbingly blue eyes staring at him over his half moon spectacles. "I suspect there is another reason you have made your decision but I won't force you to reveal it." He paused. "I would be sorry to see you go," he said after a tense moment. "The students all enjoyed your classes. I even overheard Severus complaining one day about how some of the Slytherins were saying you were their best Defense teacher."

Remus forced a thin smile, the mention of Snape not lightening his mood. "I will be sorry to go as well, Professor. But it is for the best."

Dumbledore stood up and stepped around the desk to shake Remus's hand. "If you are to go, however, I must say that I am sorry about everything that transpired the other night. Had I known –"

Remus interrupted him, his voice low. "I told you over and over again that it couldn't be him," he said bluntly. "That he was innocent. That it couldn't be Sirius." He felt himself wanting to raise his voice, but he breathed out shakily, keeping his voice under control for another few moments. He had moved his gaze to the floor, hesitant to look back into the man's eyes because he knew if he did, he might not be able to control his words.

Dumbledore didn't speak.

Remus started to speak again. "I told you again and again that it couldn't be Sirius, that you didn't know him like I did, that he had loved James and Lily, but you always said that people change, that maybe he had been approached under mysterious circumstances." The anger was still rising, more rapidly now. He took a step back and turned, angrily looking around the office for something but he knew not what. He ran a hand through his hair and spoke again, turning halfway around to see Dumbledore out of the corner of his eye. "It wasn't Sirius who changed. It was Pettigrew," he said. "He changed from a clever kid who was terrified of Snape to a little coward who went to work for Lord Voldemort!"

Dumbledore merely watched Remus as the marauder paused and breathed heavily. Swallowing and willing his voice to be calmer, Remus looked at the desk. "Professor, do you accept my resignation?" he asked briskly.

"Yes," the headmaster replied simply. "I would like to apologize, however. I understand that I was wrong, and I hope you and Sirius both understand that."

"We understand that you were wrong," Remus said, anger almost to the boiling point. He turned and looked straight at Dumbledore. "But we won't forget about this quite so easily. For twelve years, he rotted in Azkaban. For twelve years! More than a decade of my best friend's life was thrown away because he didn't even get a trial! And you did nothing about it. You saw the evidence, agreed that it was Sirius, then dropped it. As if it was completely obvious! Nobody even considered that it could've been someone else!" His voice had slowly risen as he spoke the words and as he reached the last sentence, his voice was almost a shout.

Dumbledore's continued silence was infuriating. He merely watched Remus, and the werewolf almost felt ashamed when he saw the look of guilt in his old professor's eyes, but then his mind flashed back to that image of Sirius in the Whomping Willow. How he had fallen into Remus' arms, and Remus had felt how thin and frail his friend was. How his hair was matted, and he had seen the scars that lined his arms and face, his robes torn and fraying. How the cheerful man who had pulled elaborate pranks with him and James every other day had become so broken. Thinking of all those things? Well, it made that inch of guilt evaporate quicker than it had appeared.

"Goodbye," he said bluntly. And he left the office, not looking back.


End file.
